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Marine reptile reproduction
How did marine reptiles reproduce? I know that ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs &
plesiosaurs were ovoviviparous, but what about the others? Is there any
evidence for live-bearing in placodonts, "nothosaurs" & pachypleurosaurs? Or
what about the modes of reproduction in basal ichthyosaurs & other more
'primitive' marine & aquatic reptiles (eg. the sphenodont Pleurosaurus,
aigialosaurs)
The marine turtles of the Mesozoic were most definitely egg-layers, but what
about the crocodilians? I suppose that most like Thoracosaurus, Hyposaurus,
Teleosaurus, Steneosaurus, pholidosaurs & dyrosaurs laid their eggs on land,
but what about the marine forms like Metriorhynchus & Geosaurus, which seem
to have been almost exclusively pelagic? Is there in any way the archosaur
reproductive system could have become modified to allow live-bearing in
these marine crocodilians?
And is there any evidence for marine 'snakes' in the Cretaceous?
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